File Size Converter
Instantly convert between Bytes, KB, MB, GB, TB, and PB.
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Storage Capacity Estimates
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Mastering Digital Sizing: From Bits to Petabytes
We live in a world of data. From the 3MB photo you just snapped to the 100GB game you downloaded, understanding file sizes is key to managing your digital life. Our converter helps you navigate the confusing landscape of bits, bytes, and binary prefixes so you know exactly how much space you have left.
The Storage Hierarchy
Data is built from the ground up, starting with a single Bit (0 or 1). It takes 8 bits to make 1 Byte, which can store a single character of text.
- 1 KB~1,000 Bytes (Email text)
- 1 MB~1,000 KB (Photo / MP3)
- 1 GB~1,000 MB (SD Movie)
- 1 TB~1,000 GB (500 Movies)
The Great Storage Lie
Ever bought a 500GB SSD and wondered why your computer only sees 465GB? You aren't being cheated—it's math.
Manufacturer Math (Decimal)
1 Kilobyte = 1,000 Bytes
Used on packaging to make numbers look bigger.
Computer Math (Binary)
1 Kibibyte = 1,024 Bytes
How Windows actually counts space. The suffix should technically be KiB, MiB, GiB, but is often just written as KB, MB, GB.
Capacity Guide: What Fits Where?
It's hard to visualize a Gigabyte. Here is a breakdown of what popular storage common devices can actually hold in real-world terms.
| Storage Size | 12MP Photos | Songs (MP3) | HD Movies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 GB | ~3,200 | ~3,500 | 2-3 |
| 64 GB | ~12,800 | ~14,000 | 10-12 |
| 256 GB | ~51,000 | ~55,000 | 40+ |
| 1 TB (SSD) | ~200,000+ | ~220,000 | 160+ |
| 15 GB (Free Cloud) | ~3,000 | ~3,200 | 2 |
Transmission Speeds
Understanding file sizes is crucial when dealing with internet speeds. Internet Providers (ISPs) advertise speeds in Megabits (Mbps), but files are in Megabytes (MB).
Because there are 8 bits in a Byte, you must divide your internet speed by 8 to find your download speed. Use our calculator to convert file sizes to bits to see the true cost of transfer.
Quick Speed Math
- 100 Mbps Internet12.5 MB/s Max
- 1 Gbps Fiber125 MB/s Max
- 5G (Typical)20-50 MB/s Avg
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my 1TB hard drive only show 931GB?
This is the classic 'decimal vs. binary' confusion. Manufacturers market drives using decimal (base-10) math where 1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. However, computers operating in binary (base-2) define 1 TB (technically a tebibyte or TiB) as 1,099,511,627,776 bytes. When you divide the manufacturer's total by the computer's unit definition, you get approximately 0.931 TB, or 931 GB.
What is the difference between MB and Mb?
Capitalization matters! MB stands for Megabyte (storage), while Mb stands for Megabit (speed). There are 8 bits in 1 byte, so 1 MB = 8 Mb. Internet speeds are usually advertised in Mbps (Megabits per second), while file downloads are shown in MB (Megabytes). If you have a 100 Mbps connection, your theoretical max download speed is 12.5 MB/s.
How many photos fit on a 128GB phone?
It depends on the photo quality. For a standard 12MP smartphone camera, photos are roughly 3-5 MB each. On a 128GB device (with ~110GB usable space), you could store roughly 25,000 to 35,000 photos. If shooting in RAW or ProRAW formats (25MB+ per image), that number drops to around 4,000 photos.
What comes after Terabyte (TB)?
The hierarchy continues: Petabyte (PB), Exabyte (EB), Zettabyte (ZB), and Yottabyte (YB). To put it in perspective, general estimates suggest 1 PB could hold 500 billion pages of standard printed text, while the entire World Wide Web is estimated to be hundreds of Zettabytes in size.
How big is a 4K movie file?
A streamed 4K movie (compressed) usually uses about 7 GB per hour. A 2-hour movie on Netflix might use 14-15 GB. However, an uncompressed raw 4K video file from a professional camera can be significantly larger, easily chewing up 1 GB every few minutes or hundreds of GBs for a feature film.
What is a Kibibyte (KiB) vs Kilobyte (KB)?
A Kilobyte (KB) is strictly 1,000 bytes (10^3) in the SI standard. A Kibibyte (KiB) is 1,024 bytes (2^10). While Windows has historically used KiB math but labeled it as KB, modern systems like macOS often use the correct decimal KB (1000 bytes) measurement for file sizes to avoid user confusion.
Is 256GB enough for a laptop in 2024?
For basic web browsing, document writing, and streaming, 256GB is sufficient. However, if you edit videos, play AAA games (which can be 100GB+ each), or store large photo libraries locally, you will quickly run out of space. 512GB or 1TB is generally recommended for longevity.
How do I reduce the size of a file?
You can compress files using tools like ZIP or RAR for documents. For media, you can transcribe videos to more efficient codecs (like H.265/HEVC), convert images to WebP or JPEG, or lower the bitrate of audio files. 'Lossy' compression saves more space but sacrifices some quality, while 'Lossless' retains perfect quality but saves less space.
Why are formatted drives smaller than advertised?
Aside from the decimal/binary difference, the file system itself (NTFS, APFS, exFAT) needs space for its index table to track where files are stored. On a large drive, this overhead is negligible, but it's part of why you never see the full capacity available for your personal files.
How much data is 1 Petabyte?
1 Petabyte (PB) is 1,000 Terabytes (TB) or 1,000,000 Gigabytes (GB). It's massive. One PB could store over 4,000 digital photos per day for your entire life, or hold about 13.3 years of HD-TV video content.
What is the smallest unit of data?
The measurement starts at a Bit (b), which is a single binary 1 or 0. A Nibble is 4 bits. A Byte (B) is 8 bits. While we rarely talk about nibbles, understanding bits is crucial for networking and internet speeds.